The Playstation blog has posted an interview with John Garvin from Sony's Bend studio, named after the town in Oregon where they're located. Garvin talks about the PSP version of Resistance currently in development. The main bullets points for Resistance: Retribution sound like gimmicks. For instance, the "infected" mode you activate by connecting to a PS3 means you're playing with regenerating health, unlimited underwater breath, and glowing yellow eyes. If I can skip medkit hunting and timed swimming puzzles, they can make my eyes whatever color they want.

Then there's "PSP Plus", which is the ability to actually play Resistance: Retribution on a television, through the PS3, using a PS3 controller. This sounds utterly ridiculous. I can't imagine a game developed for the PSP is going to look very good when it's blown up on a full-sized HD screen, much less that it's going to play well. But in the video, Garvin explains how the game changes when you use the PSP Plus mode.

Because we knew we had the dual shock controller, we actually made the game more difficult to play. More challenging, let's say, not difficult. We took away the aim assist, which is one of the big features in the game for the PSP. And we support [infected mode] as well. It really changes up the experience. If you play it with the dual shock, and you play it with just the PSP controls, they're two very different games. There are different strategies you use to play them. A different challenge level.

But for one thing: this is Sony's Bend studio. The single biggest selling point for Resistance: Retribution is the Syphon Filter series for the PSP, developed by the same guys. Whatever they've got up their sleeve, even if it sounds like a gimmick, is fine by me. Sony Bend sold me on this game back in 2006, before I even knew it existed, when they demonstrated with Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror that they can do a shooter that's not just great "for a PSP game", but great, period.

Resistance: Retribution is due out on March 17th.